After the meeting this Wednesday, December 18, the Permanent Commission for Coordination of Salary and Labor Policies, the Minister of Labor, Gloria Inés Ramírez, reported that The labor unions and employers still have not reached an agreement on increasing the minimum wage by 2025.
Wednesday’s session, according to Ramírez, was to analyze the caveats (arguments about your proposed increase) the workers and the unified centers, of the union sector (Andi, SAC, Fenalco and Asobancaria) and of Acopi.
“Once the reservations have been heard, we note that the parties are willing, but the figures we have on the table do not allow us to say that there is an agreement or that an agreement is in sight. There is no real approach, but we will continue working on it“he commented.
Thus, the Mintrabajo stated that He asked the negotiation table to hold one or two extraordinary sessions to try to reach an agreement, a request that was approved.
“With the caveats we find that there is a possibility of reaching an agreement. We will give ourselves that opportunity so that the figures we have are close enough.“he added.
The next step, he added, will be hold a meeting with the Ministry of Finance, this Thursday, December 19. Then you will have bilateral meetings with each party to the table and then will schedule extra sessions.
“I hope that before December 24 we achieve something, I don’t want to spend the New Year here. we are working“said Ramírez.
What you should know about the history of the minimum wage.
Issue the minimum by presidential decree
Last Monday, December 16, Minister Ramírez implied that if an agreement was not reached by this Wednesday, the increase in the minimum for 2025 would be given by presidential decree. However, he explained that There is a deadline until December 30 and “The possibilities we have at this moment are different from those of last Monday. We have to continue working“.
He insisted that the basis with which they work is the methodology of National Administrative Department of Statistics (Dane) and recalled that the figures they are taking into account are inflation as of November (5.2%), PTF productivity data (2.73%), productivity per hour worked (3.43%), productivity per person employed (1.76%) and the average productivity (3.14%).
Permanent Commission for Coordination of Salary and Labor Policies.
The position of the parties
We have the possibility of continuing to advance, we have figures for both workers and the business sector, there is a possibility of continuing to make movements, Acopi has placed the figure at 6.83%. We are working on that figure to see if we can get it closer. and with the workers justifying their 12% that adding 2.57% of the debt in terms of the purchasing power of salaries. With these elements we are trying to move forward, before making a decision on the decree.
Other unions: they have a confidential proposal and from there we will continue moving forward. When we see that we have a closer approach we will say so, today with the conditions we believe that we can give ourselves the opportunity for sessions.
CAMILO HERNÁNDEZ M.
Digital Portfolio Editor
